Tell The Truth

I know you've heard the phrase "Fake it 'till you make it" and this is sometimes the case in the music industry but don't take it to far. This only means that you know that you have the ability to do something that you haven't done yet and sometimes the faking may get you in the door but your ability to produce will keep you there. Now, that being said, the best way to stay above water in this and any industry is to always TELL THE TRUTH. The worse thing you can do is to misrepresent who you are and what you do. This business is a web of connections and one lie can bring down a lot of people and cost a lot of money. Know your limitations. Not everyone is good at everything and the first step is being honest with yourself about what your strengths and weaknesses are and simply play to your strengths. Don't ever pretend to be someone or something you are not because the truth always comes out eventually and it could mean the end of your career. Even though people say that this is a cut throat industry, no one really likes a dishonest person. This goes further than just your craft as well. For instance, I have owned a company for over 20 years and I have had different associates throughout that time. Only a few of them have always been on the up and up. Being that I was always in the studio or behind the scenes developing, administrating or creating, my face to face time with people was limited. Therefore certain individuals that only had an association with me would go out and just flat foot lie to people saying they owned my company or that they were the face and brains behind the company. Now you know that eventually these people had to meet me because no deal could be done without coming to me first and you can only imagine my surprise to hear that someone I trusted was out taking my knowledge and misrepresenting my company all in the name of ego and ego can be a terrible thing. Now by this person lying, it not only did damage to our relationship but also damaged my company's image and reputation. I was then put in damage control mode which cost me time and money. The truth is the best way to go because people can and do research everything you say. With basic computer knowledge someone can check you out so it's just better to be up front. And if you are an artist be sure to be honest about your image and craft. Don't become someone just because you think it will sale. The only thing that really sales and reaches people is authenticity. I mean if you are not a thug then don't pretend to be because the real thugs will find you out and the public will see through a lie eventually. It's always best to be honest about who you are. The thing you may not know about this industry is that most people will know that you are not being honest from the first few words you say and they will play right along with you. I've done it myself so you basically end up being a joke. I have even taken it a step further. When I know someone is lying to me, I file it away mentally and when I have a chance to recommend them for something legitimate I either won't do it or call them to let them know that the jig is up. Now most people would say that is mean but had that person just been honest, they could have had a great opportunity. So the best thing to do is just be for real. I know we want to achieve our goals by any means necessary but don't let dishonesty be one of those means. It will always catch up with you in the end. Just be you and tell the truth.

The Truth
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